State of The Mission Part 1: Core Values of GCC

In the State of the Mission address, Pastor Josh describes the journey of GCC, where it has come, where it is is going, and the core values and vision that drives our mission.

By Josh McPherson on Mar 2nd

Brief GCC Story of Grace
    -Fall, 2002, Greg starts Couple Vision with 5 couples
    
    -Summer, 2005, CV team starts praying about a CP, meeting regularly for bible-study and prayer
    
    -Sumer, 2006, men start meeting every Thursday night to study theology of church (7 couples)
    
    -Spring, 2007, CPT forms (15 families) and begins meeting weekly for services, prayer, bible-study, more theological study/wrestling
    
    -Spring, 2008, GCC launches with first official service, (Attendance: 28)
    
    -Fall, 2008, Kent and Patty join the LT team, GCC moves to RiverSide Center
    
    -Fall, 2009, GCC moves again to Wenatche SDA


GCC Core Values
1.   The foundation of Grace Covenant Church is the Lord Jesus Christ and its code of guidance in all its affairs is the unchanging and timeless Word of God, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament.  

2.   The purpose of Grace Covenant Church shall be 1) to worship God according to Holy Scripture, 2) to nurture believers through preaching sound doctrine from the whole council of God’s Word and rightly administering church ordinances and church discipline, and 3) to preach the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to all peoples.

3. The priorities of ministry of Grace Covenant Church flow from the vision of God's glory as revealed in Jesus Christ. We exist to savor this vision in worship,  strengthen this vision through theological training and missional communities, and spread this vision in evangelism and loving deeds both at home and abroad.


GCC Core Ministry Philosophies as a Missional Church
Incarnational vs. Attractional
Rather than spending tons of money on rock walls and coffee stands and gyms and any other gimmick we can use to get people in the door for ministry, we want to take our ministry to the people out there and meet them where they’re at.  Just like the son of God condescended to leave heaven and live among those he loved, we want to be known for our willingness and eagerness to take the gospel outside the walls of buildings and into the lives of people we come in contact with every day.

Doctrinal vs. Methodological
Doctrine matters, and methods matter...and one should be driven and shaped by the other.  Our methods must be shaped by and in submission to our doctrine, otherwise we’ll lose good and sound doctrine

Kingdom Mission vs. “Church and Missions”
This answers the question...does the church have a mission, or does the mission have a church?  Missions does not serve the Church; the Church serves and exists for the express purpose of MISSION.

Kingdom Embassy vs. Kingdom Castle
The church is an embassy representing our King and Kingdom, housing and sending out ambassdors to the lost culture around us.  A castle model creates an “us-them” mentality in the church.  The Embassy model creates an “us-for-them” mentality in the church.

Engagement vs. Withdrawal
We want to strategically and intentionally and regularly and winsomely and creatively engage the culture, not withdraw from it.  To withdraw from culture is to FAIL in our mission.  Our mission DEMANDS that we engage culture.  Holiness is not withdrawal from sinners; holiness is separation from sin (for the purpose of more effectively engaging with sinners on mission!)

Equipping vs. Doing
We believe that church leaders exists not to DO all of the work of ministry, but to equip the CHURCH to do the work of ministry.
*You’re not helped when things are done for you that you could do for yourself
*This is why we don’t have Sunday school...what started (historically) as strictly a fishing net to unreached children soon became a safety net for Christian parents...
*We still want the unreached children to be reached...we just want YOU to do it!

Theological vs. Self-help
We firmly believe that what you need is theological training, not psychological training.  In other words, what will feed and restore and save and keep and refresh your soul is NOT ultimately human-based man-centered self-help steps to a better you, but rather the teaching of God’s Word.  The study of theology will do more for your soul and the improvement of your joy and mental health than mastering 1,000 self-help books.  Self-help points you to yourself as the answer, good theology points yourself out as a sinner, and then points you to Christ.  In everything.

Age-integration vs. Age-segregation
“He who walks with the wise becomes wise; but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Prov. 13:25